Authorities: 3 dead in fiery highway crash in Ga.

MONTROSE, Ga. (AP) — Officials say a fiery pileup involving more than two dozen vehicles on a Georgia interstate has left at least three people dead and several others hurt.

A petroleum tanker truck also caught fire in the wrecks that happened this morning near Montrose on Interstate 16, a major artery between Savannah and Macon.

Laurens County EMS Director Terry Cobb told The Associated Press that 12 people were taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Dublin. However, the Georgia State Patrol said later in the day that nine people were hurt. The discrepancy in the number of injuries could not immediately be resolved.

Cobb says at least six vehicles were still on fire when crews arrived. The state patrol says there were four separate crashes involving 27 vehicles.